Face the Nation

Face the Nation
Name	Face the Nation
Genre	Public affairs / Talk show
Creator	Frank Stanton
Presenter	Margaret Brennan
Opentheme	"Face the Nation Theme"
Country	United States
Language	English
Num seasons	70
Network	CBS
First aired	November 7, 1954
Runtime	30 minutes

Face the Nation. It is a long-running American Sunday morning political interview and news discussion program broadcast on the CBS television network. Launched in the early years of television journalism, the program has become a staple of the Sunday morning talk show circuit, alongside competitors like NBC's Meet the Press and ABC's This Week. The format centers on in-depth interviews with leading figures from American politics, international diplomacy, and major news events, conducted by a single moderator.

History

The program was created by CBS executive Frank Stanton and first aired on November 7, 1954, as a direct competitor to the already-established Meet the Press on NBC. Its initial broadcast featured an interview with Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, who was a central figure in the Second Red Scare and the Army–McCarthy hearings. Throughout the Cold War, it provided a platform for key figures like President John F. Kennedy and Secretary of State Dean Rusk to discuss events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis and the Vietnam War. Over decades, it has covered pivotal moments including the Watergate scandal, the September 11 attacks, the Iraq War, and multiple presidential elections, maintaining its role as a primary venue for political discourse.

Format and content

The show follows a straightforward format, typically featuring a one-on-one interview between the moderator and a prominent newsmaker, often a sitting U.S. President, a member of the United States Congress, a Cabinet secretary, or a foreign leader. These interviews are frequently supplemented by a roundtable discussion with a panel of journalists and analysts from the CBS News division, such as contributors from CBS Sunday Morning and the CBS Evening News. Topics are dominated by the week's major political developments, foreign policy challenges, and economic issues, with segments often timed to react to headlines from outlets like The New York Times or The Washington Post.

Notable interviews and moments

The broadcast has hosted numerous historic interviews, including a 1977 conversation with President Jimmy Carter and a 2001 interview with Vice President Dick Cheney shortly after the September 11 attacks. In 1992, independent presidential candidate Ross Perot famously announced his candidacy on the program. Other significant moments include tense exchanges with figures like Secretary of State Henry Kissinger during the Vietnam War and with Federal Reserve chairs during economic crises. Its interviews with sitting presidents, from Ronald Reagan to Joe Biden, are often cited in subsequent coverage by major newspapers and cable networks like CNN and Fox News.

Hosts and moderators

The program has been moderated by a distinguished line of CBS News journalists. The original moderator was Theodore F. Koop. Later, longtime CBS Evening News anchor Walter Cronkite served as moderator from 1960 to 1962. Other notable moderators include Lesley Stahl, who later became a correspondent for 60 Minutes; Bob Schieffer, who anchored for 24 years; and John Dickerson, a former *Time* magazine journalist. The current moderator, Margaret Brennan, who also serves as CBS News' senior foreign affairs correspondent, took over in 2018, becoming the second female permanent moderator in the program's history.

Ratings and influence

As a cornerstone of the Sunday morning talk show genre, it consistently competes in the ratings with NBC's Meet the Press and ABC's This Week. Its influence is measured by its ability to set the weekly political agenda, with soundbites and revelations from its interviews often leading news cycles on cable channels like MSNBC and Fox News and being analyzed in publications like Politico and The Hill. The program is considered a must-stop venue for politicians aiming to reach engaged, politically active audiences, particularly during election cycles and major congressional debates, such as those over the Affordable Care Act or Supreme Court nominations.

Awards and recognition

The broadcast and its moderators have received numerous accolades, including multiple Emmy Awards and Peabody Awards for excellence in broadcast journalism. Moderator Bob Schieffer was honored with the Paul White Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association for his lifetime contribution to the profession. The program itself has been recognized by the American Women in Radio and Television and has received critical praise for its interviews and political coverage from institutions like the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Category:American television talk shows Category:CBS network shows Category:Television series by CBS Studios Category:American political television series Category:1954 American television series debuts